Had the pleasure of spending nearly 2 hours driving and testing out a s Touring this evening. The driving and handling was superb and very much did feel like it was a RWD at times. Tight turning ratio and great acceleration in Sports mode.
What I was most impressed with, however, was the infotainment system. I am very particular about technology and quality of HCI (Human Computer Interaction). I have spent many a Saturday test driving 2 or 3 different cars and fully dissecting infotainment systems over the past few years. Currently, one of the best systems belongs to Chrysler/Dodge. The most recent version of the Mazda infotainment system was lacking to say the least. In fact, it's basic Double-Din screen looked aftermarket and cheap IMO. It appeared to almost be "too cookie-cutter" and made for easy assembly, instead of aesthetics.
This new infotainment system in the '14 Mazda3's is really, really well designed. Very intuitive and responsive with all controls and the resolution and color palette were very well planned out. The Pandora and Stitcher apps on the system running via Bluetooth from my iPhone 5S running iOS 7 ran flawlessly (even though Mazda's site stated the iPhone can't utilize new iPhones and new versions of iOS). I really enjoyed relaxing my right arm on the center console and using the control knob to control the system while driving as well.
The navigation system had so many options and available setting. The ability to easily switch from 2D to 3D is exceptionally nice. Something really unique to Mazda's nav system was the ability to change the cardinal direction of the 3D view. I also enjoyed being able to drag the map via my finger to change what I viewed on the map. Knowing that map updates are included for 3 years is also a huge plus. One of the surprises today was when the salesmen, (while checking on me) used the voice control button and told the system he was hungry. The car then proceeded to show him nearby restaurants--now that's Siri-like and intelligent.
Just as a side note, while many feel that having a large 7 inch screen mounted on top of the dash like that is a security threat, I feel the entire dash looks very clean and Audi- and Mercedes-like.
I am very impressed Mazda's infotainment system, being called Mazda Connect and am looking forward to ordering my 14 Mazda3 s Grand Touring.
What I was most impressed with, however, was the infotainment system. I am very particular about technology and quality of HCI (Human Computer Interaction). I have spent many a Saturday test driving 2 or 3 different cars and fully dissecting infotainment systems over the past few years. Currently, one of the best systems belongs to Chrysler/Dodge. The most recent version of the Mazda infotainment system was lacking to say the least. In fact, it's basic Double-Din screen looked aftermarket and cheap IMO. It appeared to almost be "too cookie-cutter" and made for easy assembly, instead of aesthetics.
This new infotainment system in the '14 Mazda3's is really, really well designed. Very intuitive and responsive with all controls and the resolution and color palette were very well planned out. The Pandora and Stitcher apps on the system running via Bluetooth from my iPhone 5S running iOS 7 ran flawlessly (even though Mazda's site stated the iPhone can't utilize new iPhones and new versions of iOS). I really enjoyed relaxing my right arm on the center console and using the control knob to control the system while driving as well.
The navigation system had so many options and available setting. The ability to easily switch from 2D to 3D is exceptionally nice. Something really unique to Mazda's nav system was the ability to change the cardinal direction of the 3D view. I also enjoyed being able to drag the map via my finger to change what I viewed on the map. Knowing that map updates are included for 3 years is also a huge plus. One of the surprises today was when the salesmen, (while checking on me) used the voice control button and told the system he was hungry. The car then proceeded to show him nearby restaurants--now that's Siri-like and intelligent.
Just as a side note, while many feel that having a large 7 inch screen mounted on top of the dash like that is a security threat, I feel the entire dash looks very clean and Audi- and Mercedes-like.
I am very impressed Mazda's infotainment system, being called Mazda Connect and am looking forward to ordering my 14 Mazda3 s Grand Touring.
